WILI's Wayne Norman was one of about 200 paddlers who took part in Riverfest 2009 on May 30. The "Root Beer Float" covered nearly eight miles from the Eagleville Dam in Storrs to the Bridge Street Plaza in Willimantic. To see photos of Wayne kayaking the Hudson River in New York a week earlier, click here.

Paddlers at Eagleville Dam getting ready to launch their boats in the Willimantic River

Wayne kept his camera and keys in a "dry-bag" -- Nan Kandolin photo

The launch area is a short walk down a trail. Kayaks, canoes, and even inflatables (on right) went down the Willimantic River.

May 30, 2009 was a spectacular day at Eagleville Dam

The launch area

Looking from the launch area looking back toward Eagleville Dam and under Route 275

Much of the ride looked like this

It's nice when the river does most of the work -- Nan Kandolin photo

Rick Kandolin enjoying nature -- Nan Kandolin photo

Some people stopped to rest by a downed tree

The river did much of Rick's paddling for him

The bridge at Coventry Road/Depot Road

A now unused bridge

Nan Kandolin photo

Wayne near that bridge

Some ducks in the river

The Route 31 bridge in Coventry

There actually were some mini-rapids bigger than this, but we had to put the cameras away to keep them dry in those areas -- Nan Kandolin photo

Wayne and Rick on the south side of the Route 31 bridge

In South Coventry, things opened up

Rosie enjoying the day

Canoes made this run too--these guys brought their own keg

South Coventry

Cider Mill Road/Flanders Road bridge

A swan and two little ones -- Nan Kandolin photo

Someone's private beach on the east side of the river

Apparently the nude sunbathers left Willimantic and went to Eagleville -- Nan Kandolin photo

The two bridges for the Route 6 bypass, near Flanders Road

Looking upstream. The Hop River enters on the left.

The New England Central Railroad bridge, with the Route 66 bridge behind it

Wayne on the Willimantic River as it begins to parallel Main Street in Willimantic

An old railroad bridge just south of the junction of Route 66 and 32 in Willimantic

Wayne actually did paddle occasionally -- Nan Kandolin photo

This is where the 7.8 mile paddle ended--near the Bridge Street Plaza in Willimantic

Nan (with a root beer) and Wayne near the Railroad Museum. The school bus took boaters back to their cars in Eagleville -- Dan Mullins photo

Looking downstream from the end of the paddle--the river gets rougher here. There are four kayakers on the right working on whitewater kayaking skills. The Bridge Street Plaza is on the left and the Bridge Street bridge is just beyond.

Some shots of whitewater kayaking east of the Bridge Street bridge in Willimantic -- Nan Kandolin photos